‘Infodemic’: When Unreliable Information Spreads Far and Wide

March 6, 2020

(WSJ) – The World Health Organization has avoided labeling the spread of the new coronavirus a “pandemic” and it remains an “epidemic’’ at least for now. In a media briefing on Feb. 24, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that the decision is based on assessing “the geographical spread of the virus, the severity of disease it causes and the impact it has on the whole of society.”

Meanwhile, WHO has approved of another, more innovative “-demic” term: “infodemic.”

In a report last month, the organization warned of “a massive ‘infodemic,’ an overabundance of information—some accurate and some not—that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”